In 1899 Mrs Mills published a biography of her husband, titled 'From Tinder Box to Larger Light'. See the references to her in Crawford, 'Women's Suffrage Movement' (2003), and Daley and Nolan, 'Suffrage and Beyond' (1994), the latter work containing a reference to a meeting with Frederick Douglass. Her father, as she states in this letter, was 'John Petrie of South St Rochdale' (Petrie (1792-1883) was a Belfast-born engineer). 4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged.

110pp., 4to. Paginated to 108, with 58a and 66a. In red exercise book with 'Gwladys Hilda Edmunds | 11 Church Road | Penarth, Glam.' on cover. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper, in creased covers. Inside the front cover Edmunds has written 'Roughly 15,000 words'. A fair copy with a handful of corrections and emendations. An unpublished work of romantic fiction, unusual for the light it casts on the attitudes of the period towards race and colonialism.

Three items, folded into the customary packet. In very good condition, lightly aged. ONE: Prospectus. 4pp., 8vo. Includes the memorandum of association, in small print. The prospectus, dated 12 May 1896, begins: 'The Company was constituted in 1883. It possesses two Mills, one at Northfleet (freehold) with a complete plant for the manufacture of sulphite wood-pulp and four paper machines, and the other at Ilford (leasehold) with one paper machine. The out-put of these five machines is now 150 tons of paper per week.' Docketed at head of first leaf by Sir Richard Harington.

Both from Dalkeith House, Cambridge Park, Twickenham (one on letterhead). 25 January and 12 June 1901.

£80.00

Both items in good condition, on grey-paper bifoliums, the first with the Society's stamp and both docketed. ONE: 25 January 1901. 1p., 12mo. Concerning the binding up of his copies of the Society's journal, and the supply of missing parts. TWO: 12 June 1901. 3pp., 12mo. Concerning his 'promised letter' for 'Friday's Journal': 'I cannot hope to have a proof sent me, but if you accept the letter & should be correcting a proof yourself & would, when ordering a proof, order a spare copy for me to see at your office, I shd. be greatly obliged & wd. call in tomorrow afternoon to look through it'.

Both letter and poem are in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with a little rust spotting on each from the paperclip that attached them. ONE: Autograph Letter Signed to unnamed lady. 1p., 12mo. He thanks her for liking his 'humble verses', and invites her to drop him a line 're their fate'. TWO: Handbill poem, printed on one side of a 12mo piece of grey paper. Titled 'DISTURBED' and signed in type at end 'HORACE MILLS'. The poem is twenty lines long, and arranged in five four-line stanzas.

The Le Flemings of Rydal Hall were a leading Cumbrian family, notable as the landlords of the poet William Wordsworth. The present collection of 15 items derive from the family papers of Barbara Le Fleming, eldest child of Roger and Ann Fleming, and sister of Sir Daniel le Fleming (c.1785-1821), 5th Baronet, who married John Benson (1780-1830) in 1809.

3pp., 12mo. On bifolium with mourning border. 'I wrote to you that Sir T. Acland had written to me about the Pitcairn Islanders: and yours about Mr. Nobbs [George Hunn Nobbs (1799-1884)] has crossed mine on the way. | In the meantime, Arthur Mills, who is Sir T. A's Son-in-law, has called upon me here: & I find he in your & therefore I do not expect any further trouble on the subject.'?>?>

R. H. Belcher of the Indian Civil Service [The partition of India; Punjab; Pakistan; Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, historian of the Raj]

Publication details:

Belcher's letter to Mills on letterhead of Fieldview, Lower Road, Fetcham, Surrey; 24 September [2000]. The copies of Mills's letters dated 30 September and 11 November 2000. Typescript and copy dating from the same time.

£750.00

The four items (copy of typescript of Belcher's memoir; autograph letter from Belcher to Mills; copies of two typed letters from Mills to Rosie Llewellyn-Jones), from the Frank Mills papers, are all in good condition. The copy of the typescript is 47 + [5] pp., 8vo, including title-page, two-page contents, preface and full-page map, on 52 loose leaves; Belcher's letter to Mills is 2pp., 8vo; the copies of Mills's two letters to Llewellyn-Jones are each 1p., 12mo.

Sir Francis Crossley (1817-1872) carpet manufacturer, philanthropist and Liberal MP, whose carpet factory at Dean Clough Mills, Halifax, Yorkshire, was the largest in the world

Publication details:

Halifax; 28 March 1866.

£60.00

1p., 12mo. On aged paper, with traces of grey paper mount adhering to the reverse. He thanks the unnamed male recipient for the 'very kind favor of the 23rd. Instant': 'my Parliamentary duties & business engagements demand so much of my time that I am obliged to decline, with but very rare exceptions indeed, all invitations of the character named'. He asks the recipient 'to have me excused complying with your wishes'.

Folio, 22 pp, followed by 28 full-page plates of equipment designed to increase safety in the mills. Stitched. In original blue printed wraps. Text and plates clear and complete. Internally good, on aged paper. Wraps worn and chipped. Wraps with stamp and withdrawn stamp of University of Hull. No copy on COPAC or WorldCat.

Arthur Owen Vaughan (1863-1919, born Robert Scourfield Mills, and writing under the names 'Owen Rhoscomyl' and 'Owen Vaughan'), Welsh author and adventurer

Publication details:

6 May 1909; on letterhead of the Welsh National Pageant, Pageant House, Cardiff.

£35.00

Quarto, one page. Good, on lightly aged paper spotted by paperclip, with some creasing to extremities. 'If you will let your list down to this level, here you are'. The letterhead carries the names of the Pageant's officers with a Welsh dragon in red in the top left-hand corner. From the collection of Rev. E. J. F. Davies.

Architect (1915-98), designer of the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. All items very good. ITEM ONE (one page, folio): typed copy of Mills' 'programme' ('The object of the proposed research is to study at first hand the effect of these new techniques on building types in the United States [...]'.). ITEM TWO (one page, quarto, typed): letter by Mills dated 3 March 1969. Congratulates the Society on 'the new appearance of the R.S.A. Journal which is an enormous improvement on the past'. Explains that he has been awarded the Fellowship and encloses copy of programme.

One page. Roughly 13 inches by 8 inches. In good condition, although slightly discoloured, creased from folding and with one very small closed tear. Reports the resolution of a meeting held at the Town Hall in Leek on 30 December 1901, that beginning on 1 January 1902 'the operatives shall give up the five minutes grace now allowed on entering Mills at 6.30 and after dinner'. Also states the working hours for week-days and Saturdays.